The Years it Took to Fall
by MadameRemi
Summary: Seven years was all it took for Hope to fall. Hope- Snow. Love huh?


**I never introduced myself properly. I am Remi. MadameRemi if you like. I love Hope Estheim to the core. Snow not so much, but I do love them together. I guess I truly paired them up because their story-line was more realistic like? Or maybe Hope developed into a good character thanks to Snow? (**_and Lightnin_g**) Either way I have made over 20 or so Snow x Hope story ideas, but never fully typed them due to lack of inspiration. But now I am driven to type 12 or 13 stories of Snow x Hope. I will take time, but I will complete my goal. With my Snow x Hope stories I don't usually make them canon. I like making more AU but yet have the same places in Cocoon. It's something I am used to typing. So you will be reading a lot of stories that deal without the whole l'Cie mess. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Only my story?**

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><p>My mom has a friend; a younger friend by 14 years.<p>

She told me he would be visiting our apartment frequently.

She didn't say why.

I first met him the week after she announced this to my seven year old self. His name:

Snow Villiers.

"_Hope this is Snow. He's a good friend to me; I told you about him remember?" She introduced and I looked up from my coloring to the stranger. He was fairly tall and looked scruffy around the hair. He seemed like a rebellious teenager. But those cold sad blue eyes made it seem otherwise. I glanced back at my picture. _

"_Hello." I whispered and that was that._

Snow was different, to say in the least. He never spoke unless mom brought up a topic he was willing to communicate about. He had dinner with us sometimes and dad never stopped his intense gaze on Snow. I never spoke either. I was a quiet person, but that didn't mean I was shy.

Then my dad never had dinners with us anymore whenever Snow came around. I didn't understand why.

"_Mom, where is dad?" I asked picking at my food. Snow was looking down at the table in silence. My mom cut her meat slowly and smiled warmly at me._

"_He decided to take a longer shift at work. Don't worry Hope…eat your vegetables."_

_End of conversation about my dad._

I turned eight years old and then Snow decided to show more of his personality. I discovered that he loves mechanical engineering and motorcycles. He told me everything about himself…of course not the reason for coming over twice a week or sometimes three days a week. He's fifteen and 5'8. His hair is naturally blonde and so are his eyes. He explained that he came from the island Bodhum across from my city: Palumpolum. He said he had no parents and he never finished school.

"_You are eight years old right?" Snow asked me one day while I was working on a glass puzzle of my city. _

_I nodded._

"_Why are you so…smart?" He questioned with a frown._

_I blinked and then shrugged._

"_I've been put into the highest level of education in the hard to –get- in Palumpolum Gifted Academy. Mom says I have to keep up with my grades because it costs a lot of money. I suppose they want what is best for their hope." I said softly and continued my puzzle._

_His question made me question that too._

_I wasn't normal than other eight year old kids. _

_While they played around and spoke so freely, I was more reserved and serious. I spoke with the highest vocabulary an eight year old could have. Was that bad?_

"_What is best for their hope huh? Say, could you help me with this then?" Snow showed me a motorcycle manual guide._

"_What is that for?" I asked curiously._

"_I wanna learn how to fix and build motorcycles, but math wasn't so easy for me. I'm sure you could understand it…right?"_

_I smiled._

"_Yeah maybe."_

I was happy to have found a friend. Mom was pleased as well and she continued to have her private times with Snow. They mostly talked and she had books around her occasionally. He would sometimes glance at me and give me a grin.

I blushed whenever he did.

What was happening?

I was nine years old that day I blushed and I continued to whenever he grinned at me with his eyes sparkling. It was probably the fact I was getting newfound attention. My face warmed up sometimes, but I was probably just really happy to have a friend.

One day Dad came home and Snow was sleeping on the couch. Mom said she'd be making dinner and that for Snow to just rest and to wake him up once dinner was ready. I busied myself with my homework. I just didn't understand…why Dad looked so unpleased.

"_Hope." He stated firmly and I knew to stop what I was doing to provide my full attention on him._

"_Yes?" I answered dropping my mechanical pencil._

"_Why is that kid sleeping here." He commanded not questioned. _

_I turned to Snow's sleeping posture and looked back at my dad._

"_He was very tired." _

_A glare appeared._

"_Mom said it was alright."_

_He huffed out a displeasing sigh and left the room. But not before I heard him mutter in a tone I didn't like:_

"_Brats like him deserve to be in an orphanage."_

I was ten years old when it happened, when I felt something change inside me. Snow was seventeen already. He looked mature. His blonde hair fell to his shoulders with icy blonde tips. His blue crystal eyes were much brighter than the last time I first met him. His personality outgoing and positive. It was the first time I noticed everything about him. He was taller now, 6'0. I wondered just how tall he was going to get. I was only 4'8.

My feelings started to change. I felt weird warmth in my body whenever Snow praised me for my work or when he would pat my head with his nice smile. Then my heart would race wildly and my face blushed as a grin formed on his face directed just for me.

I was confused and scared.

I didn't know what was happening. So when I confronted my mother, I found out just what it was.

"_Is something on your mind my Hope?" She asked in a gentle voice encouraging me to feel relaxed and not closed up._

_I nodded and climbed onto her lap promptly proceeded to play with the laces of my shoe._

"_I'm confused." I started._

_She stroked my hair._

"_About what sweetie?" She urged on for me to continue._

"_What does it mean to get a beating heart that races so fast that you feel as if you are dying yet you're not…and you feel your face warm up."_

_She laughed softly and kissed my head._

"_I would have to say that it means when someone is in love, or for better words, attracted and enamored to the person who makes them feel that way. Why Hope?" She asked._

_I digested the answer she gave me. Love? Attraction? Enamored feelings? Did that sum up for what I was feeling towards Snow? I needed more clarification. _

"_Um. I just read it in a book. The main character described it, and I wanted to understand what it meant." I half lied. I didn't want to explain myself yet, not until I fully grasped what I felt._

"_Alright then. Did you find your answer?"_

'_I don't know.' I thought and responded by nodding my head._

Snow became open towards me. He laughed around me. He conversed with me every time he visited the apartment complex. He nervously asked for my help with anything he didn't get. He also told me the reason as to why he visited frequently.

I was 11 years old three months from turning 12. He was already 19. I my feelings got stronger and stronger.

He sat down in the couch across from me and told me everything.

I found out that he was being framed or charged for a crime he didn't do. He said some adult who didn't like him was the cause. He ran away, tired, hungry, poor, and alone. My mother had found him and she got to know him before asking him to visit for help.

He told me once he was 21 he would be able to go back to Bodhum. I understood as to why my dad was hostile towards Snow. He didn't trust him.

But I did. And I will.

My 12th birthday I realized it. The 'it' was my attraction to Snow.

"_Happy Birthday kiddo." Snow said with a bright grin. I didn't mind the nickname he addressed me with. He was right in a way. I was 12 and he was 19._

_He gave me a small box and I stared at it._

"_Can I open it?" I asked._

_He rolled his eyes smiling._

"_Isn't that the purpose?" He teased._

_I smiled down at the box and carefully unwrapped the ribbon and pulled off the box cover._

_My sea green eyes stared at the shining star in the box._

_A six pointed green and silver crystal star with a beaded chain. _

_He gave me necklace._

_Snow gave me a necklace that I never knew existed._

"_You like? I made it." He announced happily._

_My heart thumped loudly against my chest as I looked up at the tall blond. My voice got stuck in my throat as I realized why I had been feeling so many weird emotions for the past two years. Or was it three?_

_I liked Snow Villiers. I had a crush on him._

"_Well?" He prompted._

_I could only nod and it was a blur when he helped himself to put the necklace around me and the place where his fingers touched my neck burned._

_I was hopelessly attracted to him._

I continued my life normally like before, except I was aware of my attraction to Snow. I thought about it long and tiredly as to what solution to do. I just had to keep it in for now. I knew my dad would be extremely disappointed in me and perhaps shun me, and my mom would be shocked and blaming herself for bringing Snow into my life.

That's what I assumed.

So I went on keeping my friendship with Snow at its regular position. I studied with him. I talked to him. I listened to anything he poured out. I was his hope for him. I never removed the necklace he gave me. Except for showers. I couldn't have this precious thing ruined with water.

I was deeply captivated with the older male.

Male.

I am a male and so is Snow. Was that wrong in society? Or perhaps illegal for the age difference? If I pushed my feelings, Snow would be the one getting charged not me. I didn't want to risk that. So I knew this had to be kept in secret.

I was fully fourteen years old and much more mature.

I had two best friends, whom I've known since I was six, and they attended the same school as me.

I was slightly taller, but still short.

My dad fully stayed in his work area missing dinners and family trips.

I became aggravated at him, but I loved my mom more than anything.

Then of course Snow.

Snow was age twenty one already. He had gone back to Bodhum and he's been gone for three months already.

He sent a postcard explaining how life is.

I was aching to see him again already, but I wasn't selfish. He had another life in Bodhum and I had taken his for seven years here in Palumpolum.

I waited patiently for the day he would come back.

Then he did another two months later.

But…

"…_And I wouldn't forget this special person here." Snow concluded in his returning speech._

_I was confused. Special person? The worst filled my thoughts. My mom smiled waiting expectantly for what Snow was going to do._

_He moved the side and revealed a petite girl with soft pink hair and silver blue eyes. She had on a sweet smile and she nodded at me and my mom._

**_I couldn't speak._**

_Snow introduced her._

**_I didn't hear._**

_My mom stood up and instantly wrapped her arms around the girl._

**_I didn't understand._**

_Snow grinned and placed an arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly._

**_I didn't want to know._**

_Three pairs of eyes turned to me and I froze._

**_I didn't believe it._**

_Snow's fiancé' named Serah was who she was._

I accidently broke the necklace Snow gave me. I'm sure he didn't notice me not wearing it. His fiancé' had on a necklace I'm positive he made her.

It's fine right?

Everything is going to be..._fine._

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Well. I am sorry for any mistakes in grammar, spelling, or word sentence choice. This is the prequel to the main story I am soon going to be typing. :)<strong>


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